Each year, the last week of September is designated Banned Books Week. During this time, we celebrate our democratic freedom to read whatever we want to read. This year September 25 to October 2 marks BBW’s 29th anniversary.

According to the ALA’s Banned Books Week web site: “BBW celebrates the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one’s opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular and stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them.”

What is the difference between a challenged book and a banned book?

According to the American Library Association, a challenge is “an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. A banning is the removal of those materials. Challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of view; rather, they are an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting the access of others.”

Below is a list of frequently challenged books. While all of the books and other media on this list were challenged by various organizations and individuals, people concerned with intellectual freedom were able to uphold and maintain public access to most of them.